The valley was deep and dangerous. The long ancient road was only wide enough for one carriage to pass through. A snake-like group of people and horses slowly walked through the narrow valley. On both sides of the mountain was a peach forest that stretched for hundreds of miles. In late autumn, all the leaves had fallen off. When a gust of wind blew, the withered branches would shiver in the wind.
A thousand cavalrymen, fully equipped with saddles and swords, rode tall and strong horses. In the middle of the procession were several carriages carrying a few civil officials who could not bear to travel long distances on horseback.
Chen Dong and Sun Yuxuan from the Ministry of Justice, Hu Yuanli, Shi Yu, and Wen Ao from the Ministry of Censorate went with Wu Yizong. As for Qiu Lingzhi from the Ministry of Revenue, Zheng Zhongbo from the Ministry of Granaries, and Hou Zongyu and Chen Yanru from the Ministry of Works, they all followed Wu Yizong from the Golden Guards.
Wu Yizong roped in the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to his side. One of these two yamens would be responsible for the renovation of the old capital of Chang 'an, thus controlling large amounts of funds and workers. The other yamen would be responsible for the census and statistics of the people of Chang' an, directly controlling the household registration and tax situation.
Wu Yizong clearly wanted to grasp the key points by taking control of the population, tax, allocation of funds, and construction. He wanted to control these two yamens along the way by using both carrot and stick. Qiu Lingzhi from the Ministry of Revenue was his in-law, so he would definitely cooperate with him. He only needed to work hard to win over the Ministry of Works.
Although the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Censorate did not care about money or people, they were responsible for fixing people. The aftermath of the corruption case in Yanzhou was rippling, and the emperor was about to return to Chang 'an. Chang' an's public security was bound to be greatly improved. The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court would play a major role in this.
Because of this, as long as Wu Yizong controlled the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court, he could monopolize all the governance of the old capital and completely exclude Yang Fan. However, the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court had always been close to Yang Fan. This time, the people from the two yamens clearly rejected his invitation and went with Yang Fan.
Perhaps Wu Zetian had already thought of this result when she transferred these people over. She had deliberately transferred these people over to create this kind of situation: balance.
In Wu Zetian's heart, the Wu family was still the most trusted and most willing to use. Moreover, the reduction of Wu Yizong's military power was also a disguised form of compensation.
Wu Yizong would spare no effort to rope in the officials of the Ministry of Works. The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Qiu Lingzhi, was his relative and would definitely cooperate fully. There were many areas in which the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works would need to work closely together in the future.
However, she was also worried that these people would do whatever they wanted and ruin the country's plans. She needed someone to strictly monitor and restrain Wu Yizong's power, so she specially transferred a few officials who were close to Yang Fan from the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Censorate. When these people left, they must have been instructed by her personally.
Imperial Censor Shi sat alone in a carriage and walked behind in a sickly state. He had not shown himself many times along the way and was very depressed. Originally, he and Hu Yuanli were the most popular candidates for the position of Deputy Imperial Censor. Unfortunately, during the trip to Danzhou, he fell into a honey trap and was played by Miss Fang Dian. In the end, he missed a good opportunity.
Following Zhang Changzong and Yang Fan's actions in Yanzhou, Hu Yuanli also solved the grain embezzlement case while overseeing Feng Zhou. However, because the evidence had fallen into someone else's hands, he could not do anything. In the end, because of the Yanzhou case, the provincial governor of Danzhou, Li Junfeng, was unable to escape the law, but he did not have any credit.
If it wasn't for the fact that Li Junfeng did not want to add another crime of framing the imperial censor, he would have lost all his reputation and been removed from office. Imperial Censor Shi could only watch sadly as Hu Yuanli took advantage of this opportunity to sit on the throne of Deputy Imperial Censor. However, he became a "capable subordinate" of Hu Yuanli and came to Chang 'an with him.
What made him even sadder was that if he had really slept with Provincial Governor Li's Madame Ru, he would have vented most of his anger. However, it was not until Li Junfeng was caught by the law that he found out that Madame Ru was actually a famous prostitute from a brothel that Li Junfeng had found. With such an unbearable situation, Imperial Censor Shi was naturally depressed.
In front of them, a large carriage was very lively. Chen Dong, the Minister of Justice, and Hu Yuanli, the Deputy Imperial Censor, were sitting opposite each other and playing chess. Yang Fan and Sun Yuxuan were sitting on the left and right respectively, watching the game. The two people watching the game did not have the slightest intention of watching the game without saying anything. From time to time, they would comment on the two people playing chess. The four people chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
The wheels of the carriage rolled and squeaked as they traveled on the ancient road of Chang 'an. From time to time, the tall wheels would roll up a few withered leaves and fly in the rustling autumn wind.
The carriage suddenly stopped and the curtain was lifted. Wen Ao walked in with a plate of glistening yellow oranges. He nodded and bowed as he said, "Hu Xianxian, General Yang, Chen Xuanlang, Sun Xuanlang, please eat some oranges. I bought them at the intersection just now. They can clear the body heat and improve the stomach."
When the group of cruel officials was running amok in the Imperial Censorate, this Imperial Censor Shi was only a lackey of those cruel officials. After that group of cruel officials was swept away, this Imperial Censor Shi was spared. This group of new officials were not cruel officials, so the Imperial Censor Shi naturally did not dare to do evil. However, his personality of loving to flatter others still did not change.
Wen Ao always used respectful terms to address the few high-ranking officials. Yang Fan's rank was higher than Hu Yuanli's, but Hu Yuanli was his superior. Therefore, when the few people were in the carriage, he would always greet his superior respectfully first before greeting the other officials according to their rank.
Yang Fan smiled and took the plate. He said to Wen Ao, "Thank you, Imperial Censor Shi."
Wen Ao felt as if his bones were lighter after receiving his thanks. He hurriedly said, "It's my pleasure, my pleasure."
The Imperial Censor Shi stood aside and glanced at the chessboard. He smiled and said, "Oh, Hu Xianxian is really good at chess. I am afraid Chen Xuanlang will not be able to turn the tables this time."
Chen Dong snorted with a dark face. He looked very unhappy. Wen Ao laughed awkwardly. He had achieved his goal of flattering Chen Dong. He nodded and bowed and left.
As soon as the Imperial Censor Shi left, Yang Fan laughed and said, "You are bad at chess. Why are you showing your face to the Imperial Censor Shi? What do you think? I told you not to go straight for the heart at the beginning of the game. But you didn't listen. Now you can't go on, can you? "
Chen Dong glanced out of the window and said unhappily, "We have passed the Hangu Pass and will reach Chang 'an soon. The King of Hanoi has already started recruiting people as soon as he left Luoyang. Why are you still in the mood to point fingers here?"
Yang Fan smiled and said, "What is there to be anxious about? The trip to Chang 'an is just like the game you played with Brother Hu. It doesn't matter who takes the lead. Chess is a game of encirclement. The key to victory lies in the encirclement and the encirclement. We are still at the stage of setting up the game. As long as we have a good opening, why should we let him take the lead? "
As he spoke, Yang Fan peeled an orange and put a piece into his mouth. The sweet and sour juice immediately flowed down his throat.
Chen Dong glanced at him and said, "It seems like you have a card up your sleeve."
Yang Fan smiled and said, "If it was King Wei who came this time, I wouldn't dare to say that I have a card up my sleeve. Even if it was King Liang, I wouldn't dare to say that I have a hundred percent certainty. But since it is this pig-riding general who came, do you think I am more stupid than a pig?"
Yang Fan pointed at the chessboard and said, "Being too solid and too firm, nitpicking, and blindly consolidating the position, fearing that the opponent will invade, will inevitably delay the battle. The place of setting up the game doesn't necessarily have to be the territory you want. It is fine as long as it is the battlefield you choose. The key is to seize the key point and gain the advantage. Even if it is only a corner, as long as it succeeds, you will be able to occupy the high ground and break through like a hot knife through butter! "
Hu Yuanli stroked his beard and gave Yang Fan a meaningful look. He asked, "I wonder which corner General Yang is going to place this piece on?"
Yang Fan tapped a corner of the chessboard with his fingers. Hu Yuanli's eyes narrowed, thinking that Yang Fan was about to reveal the mystery. But he saw Yang Fan shake his head calmly and said, "Buddha said, 'I can't say, I can't say' …"
…
In a luxurious bedroom, the furniture, lighting, and silk bedding all showed the wealth of this family. Although it wasn't winter yet, there was already a brazier in the luxurious bedroom, and the air was warm.
A graceful beauty was sitting in front of the dressing table. Her beautiful long hair was draped over her smooth and white back. Behind her was a thin string tied with an Angela's muffin, covering her full breasts. On her slender waist was a pair of jade-colored panties, faintly revealing the alluring color of her flesh.
Her face was reflected in the bright bronze mirror. It was a delicate and alluring face, as tender and beautiful as a flower that had just bloomed. As soon as Jun Ruyan entered the room, she saw her enchanting and lovely appearance, and her lower abdomen immediately heated up.
Jun Ruyan was in her early thirties and was a former supervisor of the Imperial College. She was one of the three deputy leaders of the Flood Dragon Union, mainly in charge of accounting and dealing with the government. This woman was his second wife who he had only married for half a month. Although she came from a small family, she was extremely beautiful and gentle. He loved her very much.
Just now, Jun Ruyan went to meet with the gang leader to discuss how to deal with the Peerless Master of the Shun Gate. He planned to go to the city early the next morning and ask Adjunct Chu if there were any influential families involved. As long as there were no officials involved, it didn't matter how good that woman was at fighting. Not to mention that there were three thousand members of the Flood Dragon Union, she couldn't fight against three thousand people no matter how good she was at fighting. As long as there were no officials involved, that woman would fall into the trap no matter how good she was at fighting.
"Langjun, you're back?"
His wife saw the figure walking over from the mirror. She happened to turn around with a smile, but Jun Ruyan hugged her and threw her onto the bed.
"Langjun, you're only thinking about doing that shameful thing as soon as you're back."
The woman's eyes sparkled as she spoke shyly. Jun Ruyan had already jumped forward while laughing.
With this leap, the warm and fragrant jade did not fully embrace him, but his entire body was suspended in midair. A big hand suddenly appeared and grabbed his belt. Jun Ruyan was a seven-foot tall man. When he jumped forward again, the man grabbed him and held him in the air. This arm strength was really amazing.
Then, she heard a boorish man's voice with a hint of ridicule and sarcasm as he said, "I'm sorry to disturb President Jun's good mood. President Jun, do you have time to talk to me first?"
Jun Ruyan turned her head in horror and saw an extremely strong man standing firmly on the ground. His outstretched arm was still grasping her belt, and his pair of big, sharp eyes were bright and full of expression. The three brothers of the Gu family acted at the same time on this night. In a corner outside Chang 'an City, they laid the first piece of this game for Yang Fan.
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